Nextbigfuture interviewed Christofer Mowry, CEO of General Fusion in May, 2018 at the C2 conference in Montreal. Christofer Mowry indicated that General Fusion was working to get funding and complete a 70% scale pilot plant that will prove out the viability of generating electricity from General Fusion’s magnetized target nuclear fusion. He indicated that the scale pilot could be completed around 2023.
If the scale pilot plant is successful then General Fusion would raise the funds for a commercial plant.
General Fusion does not need to demonstrate fusion containment because they are pulsed power system like a diesel engine or steampunk fusion.
The pilot system will prove three things:
1. Fusion conditions will be repeatably produced
2. There will be a kill chain from neutrons to electrons
3. Economics will be validated.
Simulation will be used to validate the economics and design specifics to move to a 100% system.
The next system after the 70% scale system will be a full commercial system. Christofer Mowry, CEO of General Fusion did not predict when the full commercial system would be built. Mike Delage, chief technology officer at General Fusion is saying before 2029.
General Fusion is making a steampunk style magnetized target fusion system. They will have massive pistons strike a sphere to create fusion conditions.
TAE Technologies CEO Says Commercial Fusion By 2023
A recent video shows the CEO of TAE Technologies saying they will reach commercial fusion by 2023.
TAE forecasts the first boron fusion reactor in 2023 or so. Boron Fusion requires 3 billion degrees.
They are at 50 million degrees in early 2019.
They will not build power plants, which is low margin. They will license the technology.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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